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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers

NEW YORK (AP) — Covidien PLC said Tuesday it is buying vascular device maker ev3 for $2.6 billion in cash as it continues to remake its business.
Covidien, which makes drugs and medical devices, will pay $22.50 for each share of ev3, a premium of nearly 19 percent over Friday's closing price.

SHANGHAI (AP) — The recovery in China's manufacturing slowed in May on sluggish new orders and rising inventories, surveys showed Tuesday.
The state-affiliated China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said its purchasing managers index, or PMI, fell to 53.9 in May from 55.7 in April and 55.

SHANGHAI (AP) — Global manufacturers struggling with life-or-death pressures to control costs are finding that the legions of low-wage Chinese workers they rely on have limits.
A strike at Honda Motor Co. and the official response to a spate of suicides at Foxconn Technology, a maker of electronics for industry giants such as Apple, Dell and Hewlett-Packard, suggests China's leaders are at least tacitly allowing workers to talk back.

ELMA, N.Y. (AP) — Mark Andol has one requirement for the products he stocks at his retail store: They have to be made in America — 100 percent from product to packaging.
So not only is the maple syrup tapped from U.S. trees, but it's also bottled in U.S.-made containers. Toys are shrink-wrapped in American-made plastic, clothing and American flags stitched with homegrown thread.

In the latest PD&D Fireside Chat, Heppelmann discusses how working on a dairy farm influenced his work ethic today; why he launched Windchill Technology — and later sold it to PTC; why entrepreneurs die; Rolex watches; the future of PLM technology; the things that keep him up at night, and more.

In my last column, we looked at why having a system of traceability is so important for enabling Food and Beverage (F&B) companies to mitigate the risks of contamination and recalls. It didn’t take long to find more examples that reinforce this need. In the first few weeks of May alone, we’ve seen recalls of romaine lettuce and sprouts due to bacterial contamination, as well as beef containing the Invermectin anti-parasitic drug.

The Mobulator AC from Advanced Manipulator Specialists, Inc. (Hoffman, MN) uses a clean, energy-efficient AC motor and control technology, making your material handling more flexible, according to the company. The elimination of tracking, rails, and floor-mounted bases frees floor space and allows one machine to replace multiple material handling stations.

Bossco International (San Diego, CA) has made their HI:BEAM Cuff Lite portable light available in a number of new colors, bringing the full range to options in gray/gray, light gray/gray, camo/gray, blue/gray, black/gray, and red/gray. The light features elastic loops to pull over work gloves, making them ideal for mechanics and other industrial technicians.

The LS Industrial Fans from AIRLANCO (Falls City, NE) can handle heavy-duty dust loads or coarse materials safely and efficiently with convenient service access. The fans can serve as components in dust collection or cyclone systems, and range from 1,000 to 100,000 cfm.

Konecranes, Inc. (Springfield, OH) introduces the DynAPilot sway control system, which is designed to improve load control for all makes and models of overhead lifting equipment. The DynAPilot can be integrated into the bridge or trolley inverter of a crane to provide controlled operation for loads of all types and sizes.

SHANNON, Miss. (AP) — Adlam Films makes stuff people don't think about, even though they use it every day.
For example, the family owned company makes the clear plastic wrap that protects individual bags of microwave popcorn for brands such as Orville Redenbacher's and Act II.
Adlam also makes the laminating materials that are sold to many schools and are used by FedEx Office — formerly FedEx Kinko's.

BUCKFIELD, Maine (AP) — The guys from Maine who became online celebrities by creating geysers from Mentos candies and Diet Coke say they have harnessed that power to create a "rocket car."
The contraption created by Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz of Buckfield features a utility trailer on the back and a modified girl's bike at the front.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two workers injured when an oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico told Congress that the companies in charge of the doomed drilling operation cut corners and neglected maintenance in a race toward higher profits.
Oil has been spewing since the Deepwater Horizon blew up off the coast of Louisiana April 20, killing 11 workers.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two workers injured when an oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico told Congress that the companies in charge of the doomed drilling operation cut corners and neglected maintenance in a race toward higher profits.
Oil has been spewing since the Deepwater Horizon blew up off the coast of Louisiana April 20, killing 11 workers.

OAKLAND, California (AP) — Local governments in California and other Western states have tried to clamp down on medical marijuana, but Oakland has taken a different approach.
If you can't beat 'em, tax 'em.
After becoming the first U.S. city to impose a special tax on medical marijuana dispensaries, Oakland soon could become the first to sanction and tax commercial pot growing operations.

With half of all men in some developing countries already hooked on cigarettes, the tobacco industry is now courting lucrative new customers — young women, a report said.
About 80 percent of the world's estimated 1 billion smokers are men, but more women are picking up the habit in some countries as flavored products and glossy feminine packaging cater to them.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Comedian Drew Carey, wearing a loud black-and-white checkered blazer, marched into City Hall in his hometown on Thursday and told council members what they're doing wrong.
Respectfully, of course.
"I don't envy anybody at this table," Carey said during the three-hour-long discussion.

DETROIT (AP) — Mercury could soon be the latest Detroit car brand to disappear.
Ford Motor Co. is assessing the future of Mercury, although a final decision on whether to kill the brand hasn't yet been made, a person familiar with the company's deliberations said Thursday. The person asked not to be named because the process is ongoing.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The Taiwanese electronics company buffeted by a spate of suicides at its China factories said Friday it will raise the pay of workers by an average of 20 percent.
The pay raises at Foxconn Technology Group have been in the works for months to cope with a labor shortage following China's recovery from the global recession, said a company official speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press.

TOKYO (AP) — Honda Motor Co. said Friday that production at three of its four plants in China remains suspended because of a lack of transmissions and engine parts caused by a strike at a parts maker, but will resume partially next week at the fourth.
Workers demanding better wages went on strike at Honda Auto Parts Manufacturing Co.